James Paley
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Writing For
COGConnectedLatest Reviews
Some games were just meant for the Nintendo DS. The dual screens and the touch controls were the perfect canvas for all sorts of RPGs. I honestly thought the Etrian Odyssey series would never work on a different platform. But I’m always happy to be proven wrong. Between the portability...
Terra Nil
Terra Nil is a relaxing strategy game with an optimistic vision. What if it was actually possible to fix a devastated planet? You know, bring back the greenery, the biodiversity, and the animal life? While Earth might require a bit more work, you can at least fix this tiny version...
A good roguelike should have charm, challenge, and some sort of drip-fed progress. Have A Nice Death succeeds in two of these areas for sure. Maybe I’ve been forever ruined by Hades, but I’ve come to expect more give-and-take from my roguelikes. Even if it’s an illusion, I want to...
Rhythm games are cool and all, but what if they had RPG elements? Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is here to answer this question. It turns out rhythm games get much cooler when you add this one little twist to the formula. While it’s already fun to practice and eventually master...
Lone Ruin
I have a complicated history with roguelite games. They’re an absolute blast when done right, and an exhausting slog when done wrong. Lone Ruin has all the trappings of an excellent roguelite title. The trouble is, there’s just not enough game here to work with. It’s an appetizer that fancies...
Dragon Quest is a franchise built on simplicity. You can draw a straight line from DQ1 all the way to 11. The monsters, the music, and the general vibe have all persisted in some form since the 80s. Which I love! It’s a testament to their quality that each new...
I love Sonic games. They’re cheesy, over the top, crammed with heart, and tons of fun. That being said, they’re not always… good? But I love them anyway. Sonic Frontiers is a perfect Sonic game. It tugs at your heart strings, it’s a blast to play, and it’s peppered with...
Building things out of LEGO is amazing fun. In theory, a game about this timeless activity would totally rule, right? It does! Sort of. You see, putting the pieces together just right requires patience and precision. It also requires an instruction manual. I had about half of one of these...
I’ve played a ton of skateboarding games in my time. Session: Skate Sim is easily the most challenging one I’ve ever picked up. The fascinating thing is that the game knows this fact, inside and out. You aren’t expected to be any kind of competent right off the bat. Moreover,...
Live A Live
Good games should have a focused vision. They need a running theme, a thesis statement that binds everything together. The more branching out you do, the more potential trouble you invite. Live A Live flies in the face of this wisdom. The protagonists seemingly have nothing to do with one...
Do you want more Fire Emblem in your life? Because you’re getting so much more Fire Emblem. Nintendo and Omega Force have whipped up a massive new adventure with Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes. Yes, this is another Warriors game. But in all fairness, this is a franchise uniquely well-suited to the...
While we patiently wait for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, the devs have blessed us with a town-building RPG! Though Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is for hardcore fans of a game that doesn’t yet exist, there’s still fun to be had. If you want to turn a tiny town into something bigger...
